Collapsible bottle with flow channels

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10315802-B2
Application number	US-201815889555-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2018
Priority date	Sep 15, 2014
Publication date	Jun 11, 2019
Grant date	Jun 11, 2019

Abstract

A collapsible bottle with a channelway provided in a side wall which, in collapsed conditions of the bottle, the channelway becomes engaged with opposed portions of the side wall and define a flow passageway therethrough toward a discharge opening at one end of the bottle and a closed other end of the bottle.

First claim

I claim:

1. A collapsible bottle having a first end and a second end;
the bottle having an enclosed cavity defined between the first end and the second end and an encircling side wall bridging between the first end and the second end, the side wall including a front wall and a rear wall opposed to the front wall,
a discharge outlet at the first end,
wherein the bottle is collapsible such that when vacuum conditions are applied to the discharge outlet, the bottle collapses with the front wall and the rear wall drawn towards each other and into engagement with each other,
characterized by:
a plurality of parallel channelways provided in the front wall,
each channelway formed between adjacent parallel panels in an array of the parallel panels folded in an accordion-like array,
each channelway defining a flow channel which is open toward the rear wall between the first end and the second end,
wherein during collapse of the bottle when the front wall and the rear wall are drawn into engagement, the rear wall engages the front wall to bridge each flow channel and a flow passageway is defined between each channelway of the front wall and the rear wall permitting fluid flow therethrough between the first end and the second end.

2. A collapsible bottle as claimed in claim 1 wherein:
the bottle contains a fluid which is drawn from the discharge outlet when the vacuum conditions are applied to the discharge outlet, and the vacuum conditions include a threshold vacuum condition required to draw a substantial portion of the fluid from the discharge outlet,
each channelway maintains the flow channel provided the vacuum conditions do not exceed the threshold vacuum condition.

3. A collapsible bottle as claimed in claim 2 wherein:
each channelway having a rigidity which resists deflection when the vacuum conditions exist in the cavity.

4. A collapsible bottle as claimed in claim 2 wherein:
each channelway having a rigidity which resists deflection sufficiently that the flow channel is maintained when the vacuum conditions exist in the cavity not greater than the threshold vacuum condition.

5. A collapsible bottle as claimed in claim 4 wherein:
the front wall includes a first end header portion proximate the first end and a second end header portion spaced from the first end header towards the second end,
each channelway and its flow channel ending proximate the first end at a first end formed by the first header portion,
each channelway and its flow channel ending proximate the second end at a second end formed by the second header portion,
wherein each of the first header portion and the second header portion extends towards the rear wall.

6. A collapsible bottle as claimed in claim 2 wherein each flow channel extends between the first end and the second end.

7. A collapsible bottle as claimed in claim 2 wherein the side wall comprises a thin sheet member circumferentially about the cavity.

8. A collapsible bottle as claimed in claim 7 wherein:
the side wall having an interior surface and an exterior surface;
each channelway comprises a longitudinal first portion of the front wall extending from the first end toward the second end and a longitudinal second portion of the front wall extending from the first end toward the second end adjacent the first portion,
the interior surface over each first portion opening into the cavity,
the interior surface over each second portion open into the cavity opposed to the interior surface over the first portion,
each channelway defined between the interior surface over the first portion and the interior surface over the second portion.

9. A collapsible bottle as claimed in claim 8 wherein the first portion is disposed in a first flat plane, and the second portion is disposed in a second flat plane, the first portion and the second portion join along a common first longitudinal edge.

10. A collapsible bottle as claimed in claim 9 wherein the side wall includes a right wall and a left wall,
the rear wall and the front wall are spaced a distance less than the distance the right wall and the left wall are spaced,
during collapse of the bottle, a center portion of the right wall being drawn inwardly with the right wall to become folded upon itself and a center portion of the left wall is drawn inwardly with the left wall to become folded upon itself,
in a fully collapsed condition, the center portion of the right wall and the center portion of the left wall are spaced from each other and the rear wall and the front wall are drawn into engagement therebetween,
the channelways being provided in the front wall to extend longitudinally of the front wall where the front wall engages with the rear wall between the center portions.

11. A collapsible bottle as claimed in claim 1 wherein each flow passageway extends between the first end and the second end.

12. A collapsible bottle as claimed in claim 1 wherein:
the front wall includes a first end header portion proximate the first end and a second end header portion spaced from the first end header towards the second end,
each channelway and its flow channel ending proximate the first end at a first end formed by the first header portion,
each channelway and its flow channel ending proximate the second end at a second end formed by the second header portion.

13. A collapsible bottle as claimed in claim 12 wherein each of the first header portion and the second header portion extends towards the rear wall.

14. A collapsible bottle as claimed in claim 1 wherein the side wall comprises a thin sheet member circumferentially about the cavity.

15. A collapsible bottle as claimed in claim 1 wherein:
the side wall having an interior surface and an exterior surface;
each channelway comprises a longitudinal first portion of the front wall extending from the first end toward the second end and a longitudinal second portion of the front wall extending from the first end toward the second end adjacent the first portion,
the interior surface over each first portion opening into the cavity,
the interior surface over each second portion open into the cavity opposed to the interior surface over the first portion,
each channelway defined between the interior surface over the first portion and the interior surface over the second portion.

16. A collapsible bottle as claimed in claim 15 wherein the first portion is disposed in a first flat plane, and the second portion is disposed in a second flat plane, the first portion and the second portion join along a common first longitudinal edge.

17. A collapsible bottle as claimed in claim 1 wherein the side wall includes a right wall and a left wall,
the rear wall and the front wall are spaced a distance less than the distance the right wall and the left wall are spaced,
during collapse of the bottle, a center portion of the right wall being drawn inwardly with the right wall to become folded upon itself and a center portion of the left wall is drawn inwardly with the left wall to become folded upon itself,
in a fully collapsed condition, the center portion of the right wall and the center portion of the left wall are spaced from each other and the rear wall and the front wall are drawn into engagement therebetween,
the channelways being provided in the front wall to extend longitudinally of the front wall where the front wall engages with the rear wall between the center portions.

18. A collapsible bottle as claimed in claim 17 wherein:
the discharge opening is disposed about a central axis,
the si

Assignees

• Op Hygiene Ip Gmbh

Inventors

• Mirbach Ali

Classifications

• B65D1/0223

  characterised by shape · CPC title

• B65D2231/00

  Means for facilitating the complete expelling of the contents · CPC title

• B65D2501/0027

  Hollow longitudinal ribs · CPC title

• B65D21/086 Primary

  Collapsible or telescopic containers (B65D1/0292 and B65D21/068 take precedence) · CPC title

• B65D2501/0081

  Bottles of non-circular cross-section · CPC title